Who's the Boss?

Before moving to New York, I had never been called "boss" by anyone. Admittedly, this was before I ever had a full-time job, so nobody had any reason to call me "boss." But at bodegas, delis, and streetcarts, I find myself being called "boss" all the time.

Most notably, every time I get lunch from the falafel cart downstairs from my office, I am called "boss":

"How's it going, boss?"

"What would you like, boss?"

"Here you go, boss."

"Have a good one, boss."

Why am I the boss? You run the cart, you're the boss of yourself. I suppose it's an expression of respect for your customers, but you tell me how much to pay, and I pay you. I never boss you around. Quite often, you put hot sauce on my platter when I only want white sauce. You call the shots, not me.